Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.
Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.
The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.
Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.
Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.
$3,000
Princess /// Contemporary Street Pop Art Painting Grace Kelly Abstract Colorful
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Jack Graves III (American, 1988-) Title: "Princess" Series: Eclecticism *Signed by Graves lower left. It is also signed, titled, and dated on verso Year: 2024 Medium: Origi...
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
Airplane in landscape - landscape painting
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful painting by Jeroen Allart is part of his minimalist landscape and animal painting he did in his home country the Netherlands. 'A farm stands before you on the horizon....
Canvas, Oil
Sun No.27 - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Figurative Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
Making Our Way Back - Original Rural Landscape Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
By Jodi Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jodi Miller captivates with her atmospheric landscapes, inspired by the vast skies of her prairie upbringing and her global travels in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Influenced by the...
Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite
Beauty from Within 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Fabrics
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
diphtych "Where Peace Finds You"
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) – size of each picture Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled from the series “Trust: In Space” This dipty...
Canvas, Acrylic
Witnesses of the Unseen
Located in Zofingen, AG
Executed in a refined contemporary figurative style, this painting presents a compelling dialogue between observation, perception, and the unseen dimensions of experience. Combining ...
Lacquer, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$2,984
Between 2 Shores Modern French Abstract Landscape Painting, Contemporary Coastal
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Between Two Shores is an original oil on canvas by French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont. Inspired by the ever-changing landscapes of the Normandy coast, this work captures the f...
Oil
AV NOVA by Ramon Enrich - Architecture and Landscape Painting
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
AV NOVA is a painting by Spanish contemporary artist Ramon Enrich. Acrylic on canvas: H 39.4 × L 51.2 in inches / H 100 × L 130 cm. The artwork is sold framed (brown floating frame)...
Canvas, Acrylic
$545
Peculiar Bloom - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Mixed Media Painting on Raw Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
Mourning On The Vine - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
Original Ink on papers set of 2, Sunset Song Series-New Abstract-British Artist
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Sunset Song Series stands as one of the most iconic works featured in her Solo Exhibition - Modern Ancient, GSY Studio Gallery, London, UK. 2025; this is one of the latest in the ser...
Paper, Ink
Where Time Stood Still
Located in Zofingen, AG
Where Time Stood Still (From the "Synchronicity of Souls" series) "Where Time Stood Still" is a visual manifesto of safety, unconditional trust, and the mental connection between hum...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
TURNING INTO STONE 3 surreal original oil/canvas Paula Craioveanu large 30x38in
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Turning into Stone 3 " . Original, unique painting. oil on canvas, 30x38in. Shipped stretched ready for display in the US, and shipped rolled in a tube to Europe and to the rest of...
Canvas, Oil
Bouquet of Daisies
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 100×70 cm (overall size with stretching 108×78 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. A loosely gathered bouquet o...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Nesting", Botanical Watercolor of Opossums in a Nest with Strawberries
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Nesting" is an original artwork by Christina Mrozik and is made of watercolor on paper, and measures 17.5"h × 17.5"w framed. It is signed en verso by the artist. ...
Paper, Watercolor
$2,850
Unspoken Bond - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist The...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$2,106
Beneath the bougainvillea balcony Contemporary Architecture House Oil Painting
By Lilly Muth
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
$2,082Sale Price|25% Off
The Sun Born Over and Over, Abstract Oil on Linen, Signed, 150x80 cm
Located in Silverthorne, CO
A soaring, dramatic, golden sunset flaming across the sky The golden light. The pink hues of hope. The planet we live on, all of us, spinning on its axis around our warm living sun ...
Linen, Oil
$1,850
Ephemeral Tides - 21st Century, Contemporary, Landscapes, Modern City, Oil
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Painting for me is an experience, where we learn every day and unlearn what we’ve learnt, and also as a portal to connect to the past, present & future. I was inspired to create thi...
Canvas, Oil
$2,340
Friends
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
Friends captures the quiet beauty hidden within ordinary moments — the kind we often fail to recognize while they are happening. Gathered around a simple table, surrounded by deep gr...
Canvas, Acrylic
Lasting Feeling
Located in Santa Fe, NM
marsh, water, calm, green, blue, grey, neutral, dusk, lake, trees, reflection Inspired by the drama of nature and light, Cynthia creates abstracted landscapes with oil on canvas.
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Emotionally Unavailable but Moisturized
Located in Zofingen, AG
Emotionally Unavailable but Moisturized is a quiet little rebellion against the pressure to always be available, productive, emotionally articulate, healed, glowing, thriving… prefer...
Canvas, Acrylic
Running Errands Like a Queen
Located in Zofingen, AG
Running Errands Like a Queen is dedicated to that surprisingly satisfying feeling of returning from the grocery store convinced that you’ve accomplished something extraordinary. The ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Homekeepers Painting of Dogs Before Red House, 90x90 cm, New Condition
Located in Zofingen, AG
Home is not walls or shelter — it’s what quietly holds us when the world keeps moving. The dogs stand before the red house as if it were memory made visible. They are the keepers of ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Building My Cozy Hut
Located in Zofingen, AG
Building My Cozy Hut explores memory as a space of inner refuge. The title refers to the childhood experience of creating a secret shelter - a place existing between reality and imag...
Canvas, Oil
$1,100
Field Painting June 26 - Contemporary Landscape Painting White Flowers, 2025
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary landscape painting in oil on panel, a peaceful summer scene is set, beautifully capturing the idyllic feel of a field of wildflowers in late June. Signed, dated ...
Oil, Panel
The newborn light that is me - Atmospheric dreamy pink & green abstract painting
Located in Silverthorne, CO
A rapturous pink and green ode to water and light. When I paint, I use cloth rags taken from daily life. For this painting, I used one of the discarded head coverings I was forced to...
Oil
$3,500Sale Price|30% Off
Lady with Books 2 original painting by Paula Craioveanu 39x23in FRAMED
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Lady with Books 2", 39x23in / 100x60cm. Original painting. Shipped as it is, stretched, ready for hanging, framed. Framed size 41.5x25.7in. Free shipping with 1stDibs code This p...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,925
To Leave or Stay: Contemporary Figurative Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
This sophisticated contemporary figurative painting examines the psychological atmosphere of civilian life during the war in Ukraine through a carefully orchestrated symbolic interio...
Lacquer, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Tender Presence I
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. This work is part of my “T...
Canvas, Acrylic
Bra Off, World Off
Located in Zofingen, AG
Bra Off, World Off is a celebration of one of life’s smallest and most satisfying rituals. That moment when the day is finally over, expectations loosen their grip, and there is nowh...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,300
Soft Skies - Original Abstract Oceanscape Painting on Canvas with Gold Leaf
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in ...
Gold Leaf
Magic tree
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work I will continue to weave archetypal images of ancient times. The work enters into a dialogue with the symbolism of long-standing visual memory, which appears in various...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,650
Still Night - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist May...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Home Is Where the Soul Finds Peace
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. A quiet space between feel...
Canvas, Acrylic
Carmelized - Abstract Landscape Graffiti Inspired Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
“Flamingo’s in a Lush Jungle Waterfall”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original acrylic paint on canvas painting of a lush jungle landscape with a waterfall and flamingo’s by the well known Haitian painter, Henri-Robert Bresil. Signed lower right by th...
Canvas, Acrylic
In a May Garden
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
In a May Garden captures a quiet moment of connection hidden within the richness of nature. Surrounded by deep green foliage and blooming pink forms, two figures sit together at a sm...
Canvas, Acrylic
Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Mistress of the Autumn Garden
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, the artist creates the image of a woman as the keeper of the harvest, of space, and of the rhythms of nature. Her figure rises from the earth as naturally as the ap...
Canvas, Acrylic
State of Mind 15 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Floral
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The artist's expressive strokes, rendered with bold acrylics, bring to life a figurative portrait that speaks volumes about resilience and aspiration. The interplay of colors and tex...
Canvas, Acrylic
$890
Nine Skies, Geometric Interpretations Grid, Bauhaus Landscape Tiles, Color Field
Located in Barcelona, ES
“Nine Skies” by Natalia Roman is a contemporary geometric abstraction that evokes shifting atmospheres through a refined language of color and form. Organized in a rhythmic grid, eac...
Acrylic
Blue Silence
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
Blue Silence Series: Birds Blue Silence captures a solitary pelican drifting quietly through a deep blue landscape suspended between water and shadow. Emerging from broad, expressiv...
Canvas, Acrylic
TORRUB by Ramon Enrich - 59 In Wide Square Painting, Red Tones
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
TORRUB is a unique acrylic on canvas painting by contemporary artist Ramon Enrich, dimensions are 150 × 150 cm (59.1 × 59.1 in). Dimensions of the framed artwork are 154 cm x 154 cm ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Drifting Between Light and Love - Contemporary Pool House Oil Painting
By Lilly Muth
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
"Blue Grasshopper"
Located in Zofingen, AG
Blue Grasshopper is about freedom of movement and freedom of choice; unity with the Universe and individuality of experience. It is about beauty in different rhythms. It is about the...
Canvas, Acrylic
$545
Sun No.8 - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Figurative Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
$391
Original Drawing-Sunset Song-Drawing Time Series-British landscape-plein air-ink
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This original Ink/Charcoal/gouache drawing was created by Shizico at the transitional sunset light in early spring. Like a modern-day Monet, Shizico has built her own garden over the...
Charcoal, Ink, Gouache, Archival Paper
Threshold of Maturity. Series “Primordial Garden”
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work speaks of a moment of transition, when fullness has already taken place but has not yet become rest. After the time of blossoming and generous flourishing, the orchard ente...
Paper, Watercolor
$4,095
Trees 2 June 15:42 - Modern Nature Painting, Landscape, Forest, Contemplativ
Located in Salzburg, AT
Robert Motelski's paintings are exceptional visions of nature, visions of space which surrounds us. They tell about being, fate and passing. They depend on the season of year, the ti...
Canvas, Oil
Yellow Slash Abstract Acrylic Painting, Framed, Contemporary
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary abstract acrylic painting was inspired by nature. Sandra Goldie’s artwork has been praised by one of Quebec’s leading abstract artists. Leopold Plotek described th...
Canvas, Acrylic
Where hours float unseen - Contemporary Architecture House Oil Painting
By Lilly Muth
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
Yellow Lily - Abstract Acrylic Painting, Framed, Contemporary, 24x60 in
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary abstract acrylic painting features yellow lilies. Sandra Goldie’s artwork has been praised by one of Quebec’s leading abstract artists. Leopold Plotek described Go...
Canvas, Acrylic
$8,191
Green Iron Jungles N8 by Calo Carratalá - Round Painting, Amazon Landscape
Located in Paris, FR
Green Iron Jungles N8 is a unique round acrylic on aluminum and gloss varnish painting by Spanish contemporary artist Calo Carratalá, diameter is 120 cm (47.2 in). The artwork is sig...
Iron
Reminiscing
Located in Burlingame, CA
Elizabeth Geisler is best known for contemporary paintings of water that bridge realism and abstraction. At close range, her surfaces appear loose and ambiguous, but from a distance ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Gale - Contemporary Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Framed, 32x26 in
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary abstract acrylic painting was inspired by nature. Sandra Goldie’s artwork has been praised by one of Quebec’s leading abstract artists. Leopold Plotek described th...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,000
"Dior in Paris" Silver and Black French Haute Couture Painting on Archival Paper
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited composit...
Mixed Media, Oil, Archival Paper
In My White Boots - Colorful Abstract Feminine Figurative Still Life Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Southern California native Courtney Simone seamlessly blends her passion for abstract art with the exploration of everyday beauty, resulting in exuberantly inspired abstract figurati...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
With Girls on a Random Friday Night
Located in Zofingen, AG
With Girls on a Random Friday Night is about the quiet rituals that keep us close to ourselves and to each other. In a world obsessed with productivity, comparison, and always moving...
Canvas, Acrylic
The artist and activist is the subject of a new show at Washington, D.C.'s National Gallery of Art.
Manhattan's Acquavella Galleries is showing a group of the artist's monumental works that have never been seen together.
Koloman Moser smashed the conservative conventions of art and design in fin-de-siècle Vienna. On the 100th anniversary of his death, the Austrian designer is being celebrated for his radically modern creations.